Apparatus for charging furnaces.



NQ- 894,392. v PATENTED JULY 28 1908.

H. A. PROSSER & J. B. LADD. I APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FURNACES.

INVENTORS: My =1 VW law WITNESSES: -44 ag/ma 1? (IJ- l, M A 1' A f/Ol'lljS PATENTED JULY 28, 1908.

1907' 3 SHEETSBHEET 2.

INVENTORS:

w f iffmvzcm} H. A. PROSSER & J. B. LADD. v APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17,

WITNESSES:

PATENTED JULY 28, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTORS H. A. PROSSBR & J. B. LADD.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FURNACES.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 17, 1907.

WITNESSES: 3- 11m UNITED STATES PATENT UFFIQE.

HERMAN A. PROSSER, OF SALT LAKE CITY,.UTAH, AND JAMES B. LADD, OF ARDMORE,

' PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 28, 1908.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERMAN A. PROSSER, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, and JAMES B. LADD, residing in Ardmore, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, both citizens of the United States, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Charging Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention aims to.provide an apparatus designed especially for feeding a charge of copper plates or igs to a reverberatory furnace, and adapte. also in its principal features to a variety of other uses.

An important feature of the invention is in the depositing of the successive loads which go to make u a chargein a position substantially paralle to its position upon the support on which it is introduced into the furnace. This makes possible the stacking of the charge accurately, and the fillin of the furnace-with a minimum air space etween the sheets or other articles constituting the charge. The load is preferably removed from its sup ort by a horizontal movement, and this ma es ossible the filling of the furnace substantia ly up to the roof 'so' as to leave little or no spaceoverhead. The preferably flat shape of the support for the load also facilitates the picking up of the load from a car by the automatic thrustin of the support under the load. The load when lifted from the car is freely movable laterally, longitudinally and vertically, so as to place it at any desired point in the furnace.

Various other features of improvement are referred to in detail hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the principal parts of the apparatus Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a plan and end view of the support upon whic 1 the load is carried; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustratin more fully the several movements of which t e apparatus is capable; Fig. 4 is a sideview of a car showing a support thrust under the load thereon; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the furnace and the principal )arts of the charging apparatus; Fig. 6 1s a orizontal section showing the mechanism on the rear end of the horizontal arm of the apparatus; Fig. 7 is a plan showing the adaptability of the apparatus to the handling of ingots.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the furnace A is of the reverberatory type with an arched roof B, and with doorways C between which are narrow posts D. A track is arranged along the front of the furnace on which run cars E carrying each a load F of the material to be charged into the furnace, each load bein preferably of a convenient size to be picked up and transported into the furnace by charging apparatus. For the purpose of introducing the load well into the back of the furnace, the charging apparatus is provided with a long horizontal arm G, the rear end of which is provided with a post H telescoping into a leg J dependingfrom a trolley K which runs back and forth in a longitudinal direction upon a bridge L, the ends of which are supported upon rails M, so that the bridge may be moved transversely. The operator sits in a cage N, and by operating suitable electric switches or other controlling devices,

raises the arm (with the load carried at its end) and shifts it laterally or longitudinally at will. The mechanism for these several movements is not illustrated in detail, being familiar to those skilled in inventions-of this class. Any one of numerous known systems may be used. 7

The support from which the load is carried is a flat fork O, ri idly carried upon the endof the arm G, so t at the load may be picked up from the car E by sim ly thrustingthe support 0 under the load the latter being blocked up to provide a space between the load and the platform of the car. This oporation is very quickly accomplished by the operator in the ca e N without outside assistance. The arm a, and with it the load, is then lifted slightly and shoved into the furnace and given the desired lateral, longitudinal or vertical movements until the load stands substantially at a point where it is to be deposited. The operator then brings into play the pusher P, which is forced outward 1n the manner shown in Fig. 4, and pushes the load off the support. As the load is pushed off its outer edge tilts downward and strikes the portion of the charge immediately below it, and it would be difficult to push it further. The operator very readily effects a compound movement, forcing out the pusher P and withdrawing the arm and support 0 tially a withdrawal the support from under it. The controlling mechanism may be so designed that when the load offers a determined resistance to the outward movement of the pusher P, the arm G and sup ort will be automatically slip ed backwar by the pressure exerted by t e pusher, so that the operator will not need to use any special care in obtaining the compound movement above referred to. This mode of operation, the ability to definitely place the load in substantially the final position which it is to occupy in the furnace, before withdrawing its support, is a very important advantage of this invention, making it possible to fill the furnace with the least air space between the parts of the charge and between the top of the charge and the roof, even though the latter be above the top of the door opening.

The movement, of the pusher may be obtained by means of various mechanisms. For example in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the pusher is a flat plate P mounted on the end of a square rod Q runnin through the hollow arm G and supported upon one or more antifriction rollers R. On its rear end the rod Q is provided with teeth to form a rack bar S, which is in engagement with the pinion T operated by means of any suitable train of gears from a motor U under control of the operator in the cage N. This mechanism permits a sufiiciently rapid movement of the pusher and an accurate control of its position.

The support 0 is provided with two prongs asshown, so that itmay carry plates or other articles extending across both prongs, as shown at V in Fig. 2; or so that each prong may carry a stack of smaller pigs W, Fig. 7. The pusher is rovided with an extension X (Fig. 3) extem ing below the support 0, preferably between the prongs thereof, so as to avoid plates or other thin articles catching between the pusher andthe support, and so as at the same time to guide the pusher against lateral deflection.

The usher extends somewhat above the top of t e arm G, anda fin Y with an oblique upper edge is provided on the end of the arm for guiding the arm when it is being withdrawn through the door of the furnace. The s u port 0 also extends laterallybeyond the s1 es of the arm G, and lateral fins Z with oblique edges are provided at the end of the arm for guiding the support laterally through the doors of the furnace.

The posts D between the door ofthe furnace are made of a Width approximately twice the overhang of the plates V upon their support 0, so as to secure the maximum strength for carrying the roof of the furnace, and at the same time to permit the plates to be'stacked close to each other between the doors, as indicated in Fig. 5. The plate P and rod Q constitu te in effect an abutment bar, and the plate 0 a carrying peel which moves on the abutment bar and is Withdrawn from under the load by an outward movement relatively to the abutment bar.

We claim as our invention 5- 1. In combination a car ada ted to permit the thrusting of a support un er a load carried thereby, and a charging apparatus including a fiat support adapted to be thrust under the load on the car so as to ick it up and including also means for intro ucing the loaded support in a substantially horizontal position into the furnace and a pusher for pushing the load 0H said support.

2. An apparatus for feeding a charge into a furnace including in combination a support for a load of the char ing material, means for introducing a loade support into the furnace, means for pushing the load off the support while holding the support stationary 1n the furnace, and mechamsm allowing the support to slip back from under the load when the latter meets with an obstacle to its being ushed off.

3. e combination with a furnace of an apparatus for feeding a charge thereinto, said apparatus having a narrow support over the sides of which its load overhangs, and said furnace having a pluralit of doors with a post between each pair of oors, said post being approximately twice as wide as theoverhang of the load.

4. An apparatus for feeding a charge into a furnace including in combination a flat support 0, and a pusher P for pushing the load off said plate, said usher having an extension below the level of the support to prevent any part of the load being caught between the su port and the usher.

5. A forked flat su port G and a pusher P having an extension g below the level of said eupkport and lying between the prongs of said 6. An arm G, a support, and means for removing the load from said support, said means extending above said arm, and there being a fin Y on said arm having an oblique edge for guiding the apparatus out through the furnace door.

7. An arm G carrying at its end a sup ort extending laterally beyond the width 0 the arm, means for removing a load fromsaid support extending vertically above the arm,

and there being fins Y and Z extending 1 a car for said track for conveying a load to a point adjacent to such door, sa1d car being adapted to permit the thrusting of a sup ort under the bottom of the load and the lifting of such load from the car, and a charg' g a paratus includin a support adapted to e thrust under the" oad on the car and including means for lifting said su port with its load and introducing the loa into the furnace, and depositing it therein in a position substantially parallel with its position on the car.

9. The combination with a movable support and an abutment bar carried thereby, of a carrying eel mounted to move relatively to the a utment bar, and means for moving said abutment bar tofish the load ofi the carrying peel while hol g the latter stationary, said carrying eel also being movable outwardly to be W1t drawn from under 20 the load carried by same.

In witness whereof, I have hereuntosi ned my name in the presence of two subscri ing witnesses.

. HERMAN A. PROSSER. Witnesses: I

DOMINGO A. USINA, FRED WHITE.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto si ned my name in the presence of two subscri ing witnesses.

- JAMES B. LADD, Witnesses:

LOUISE B. Mon-ms, HARRY W. GRANT. 

